THE Queen was greeted by hundreds of excited flag-waving youngsters when she visited the Midlands today.

THE Queen was greeted by hundreds of excited flag-waving youngsters when she visited the Midlands today.

Her Majesty, along with Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were in Staffordshire this afternoon for the dedication of a new war memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Lichfield.

But before going to the service, also attended by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the royal party stopped at Rugeley Trent Valley train station for several minutes.

The Queen, dressed in a lilac suit and burgundy hat, was welcomed with a crescendo of noise as she stepped off the Royal train and on to the platform.

She was greeted by dignitaries before being handed bouquets of flowers, which were presented by children from four local schools.

The Princes also took the time to walk along the line of children stopping off to speak to some of them.

Regan Warburmpton and Aidan Goodwin, both aged 10, from Western Springs School in Rugeley, got to speak to Prince Charles. Regan said: "He was really friendly and asked me a few questions about our school."

Aidan added: "He also asked us if we played football. I was really excited to meet him and glad that he came to speak to us."

Their head teacher Shirley Wellings said: "We have been looking forward to this and preparing for it since we found out she was coming last week.

"Most, if not all, of these children will probably never get the chance to see them again in the flesh."

Nick Herbert, a 12-year-old pupil from St Bede's School in Bishton Hall, Stafford, said: "I think it's great that she came here as it shows that she cares about smaller towns as well as the big cities."

Julie Dale, head of Chancel Primary School in Rugeley, said: "All the children have been in overdrive since we discovered they were coming.

"We will all remember forever the day we saw the royal party up close."

The royals were then whisked off to Alrewas for the dedication of the new memorial.

The memorial bears the names of 16,000 servicemen and women who have died serving their country since 1948.

A centrepiece of bronze sculptures acknowledges the courage of family and friends left behind, the Ministry of Defence said.

The royal party heard prayers for the deceased by the Archbishop of Canterbury, before touring the memorial and meeting families. Work began on the site of the memorial, designed by architect Liam O'Connor, in October 2006. The project had the backing of the Prince of Wales, who is patron of the Armed Forces Memorial Trust.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, led more prayers before the royal party were escorted to view the memorial. As they did so, classic singing group All Angels entertained the audience.

The impressive monument also has room for a further 15,000 names to be added in the future.

After the service the Queen and Prince Philip returned to Rugeley train station for the naming of a locomotive in honour of their diamond wedding anniversary, which they will mark next month.